1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to suture anchors and, in particular, to anchors having a substantially frusto-conical shape and a passage within the anchor to allow strands of suture to pass through the anchor between an end and the side surface thereof.
2. Description of the Art
Currently, most suture anchors that are used in the medical field are of the type that have tissue attached to an anchor which is embedded in bone. Typically, a suture is secured to an anchor which is affixed to the bone, and the suture is used to tie tissue to the bone. A problem with such conventional suture anchors is that it often is difficult to attach tissue, such as ligaments and tendons, to a bone at a desired location because of difficulties in securing an anchor to bone at the optimum site for the surgical repair being performed. Accordingly, there is a need for a suture anchor which is easy to use and which allows the surgeon to attach tissue to a bone in a relatively inaccessible location.
To that end, the present invention relates to a suture anchor having a generally frusto-conical configuration with a passage extending from the smaller diameter base of the anchor to an opening on the side thereof. The side of the anchor can be a smooth surface, or alternatively, it can be corrugated. When suture is inserted in the passage through the anchor and the anchor is forced into a bore provided in the bone, the suture is wedged between the side of the anchor and the sidewall of the bore. If the bore passes all the way through the bone, and the suture is introduced to the anchor from the side of the bone opposite that to which the anchor is embedded, tissue can be secured to the bone at a site separated from the location of the suture anchor.
Other objects, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures.